Wednesday 9 November 2011

The Nostalgia Queen in my neighbourhood

I am a self-confessed vintage victim. So you can imagine my joy and excitement when I discovered a little vintage shop just a few doors down from my apartment.

This was one of the things I’ve always dreamt of whenever I went vintage-shopping around the world in places like London, New York, Paris, Rio and Buenos Aires. I would wonder what it is like to have these amazing treasure troves on my doorstep. And now I do; only it is in Singapore.

Welcome my new neighbor, Nostalgia Queen Vintage

Nostalgia Queen Vintage can be better described as a ‘living room boutique’ where it is obvious from the size and the unusual location, that the owner has started it out of passion for vintage rather than a pure bottom line business investment.

Despite its small size, the boutique stocks some serious vintage frocks and accessories mostly hand-picked by Michelle, the owner, from London and Paris.


Just wished this Chloe blouse would fit me, it's a piece that
would never go out of style and can be worn in endless ways

Love the rings...

Dresses range from the casuals to some more dressy 50s cocktail frocks which would look right at home if you’re planning a mad men-themed party.

As for the jewellery, Nostalgia Queen’s collection is absolutely stunning. From semi-precious stones rings to sparkly yet elegant brooches, some pieces especially the rings, are definitely worth the investment. And learning that I had a penchant for antique jewellery, Michelle told me she’ll be stocking some diamond and precious stones antique pieces soon so I hope they’re in time for my first wedding anniversary next month (or next birthday if my hubby is broke!) those will be starting at SG$800 depending on the piece.




To be honest, walking in there I didn’t know what to expect the prices to be like and was a little worried it will be one of those places where they over-price vintage just because it is ‘cool’. But to my surprise it was all very reasonable.

With clothes starting as low as SG$25, bags at SG$45, it was just too good to be true. But if you are into your designer vintage, I saw a Chloe ruffled blouse going for SG$120 and a very rare Burberry coat/dress for SG$300. Considering how much a brand new one would cost, walking out of the store with an iconic and timeless piece for a few hundred almost feels like stealing.

Tempted as I was by the Burberry, I eventually emerged with a gorgeous black dress/coat with beautiful colourful thread work ($59) and ornate earrings with coloured stones (SG$10) which would brighten up any outfit for a night out.

I still can't believe I grabbed this at SG$59! Such a steal!

And these beautiful earrings are mine for SG$10!

Of course there are other things that caught my eye but unfortunately my weekly budget was already overdrawn so I thought I’ll just snap some pictures instead and maybe some lucky girl will get her hands on these one-off pieces before they’re gone.

A timeless classic: this vintage Burberry dress/coat beats the new versions

This clear clutch is stunning! So unique

Victoria Beckham.. you jealous?

Nostalgia Queen Vintage is located on 92 Sophia Road. Open by appointment only. Call +65 97658257 or walk in on Saturdays between 12:30pm and 2:30pm.

P.S. The ‘By appointment only’ policy might seem intimidating but it is not meant out of exclusivity (like in some of the high end vintage outlets in Notting Hill), but rather out of time management on behalf of the owner who was very welcoming when we walked in on a weekday afternoon as we saw the door open.